The Chips in The Bible Meets Potato Chip Science

Potato Chip Science is a great book by Allen Kurzweil and his son. With 29 great hands-on experiments for kids, it's a fun way to learn about scientific principles like propulsion and kinetic energy.

At Sycamore Tree Church (where I attend) it's become a great way to learn the Bible too! This book has experiments for the chip bags, the chip lids, the chip tubes, the potatoes and, of course, the potato chips! On top of that, there's some great information on how chips are made, how to use chips for survial and little known facts about some of the things in the experiments.

Here you'll find five lessons based on the Potato Chip section of the book. But don't stop here, there are four other pages with more lessons to go with the Potato Chip Science Book. So, here we go - have a great time as the Bible Meets Potato Chip Science.

From Page 18 in the Potato Chip Science Book

MATERIALS

• 1 c. chopped red cabbage
• blender
• 1 c distilled water
• strainer and bowl
• cotton swabs
• tape
• notebook or paper
• Chips (vinegar chips and plain chips)
• chip lids (or paper plates or butter bowl lids)
• straw
• strips of uncoated paper
• foil or wax paper and anything else you'd like to test
• (RECOMMENDATION: Follow the directions on page 18 BEFORE your class to save time)

METHOD - See Page 18 & 19 of the "Potato Chip Science" book

MEANING - See Page 20 of the "Potato Chip Science" book

MUNCH ON THIS: Verses from 1 John 3-5

Before you begin, explain how you made the indicator juice and then test a few of the items you brought. You might let each child have a test strip page. Explain that you'll be testing the "acidity" of a bunch of things. Ask the kids if they know what kinds of things are acidy. Then do the tests.

1. If our test strip or cotton swab is pink what does that mean?
   (Pink means that the thing we tested is acid. The more pink, the more acid)
2. What does a blue-green test strip mean?
   (It means that the thing we tested is a "base" also called an alkaline- have the kids repeat the word alkaline)
3. What kinds of things can we test with our "Indicator Juice"?
   (anything can be tested!)
4. Let's read some verses from 1 John.
   Read 1 John 2:5; 1 John 3:10; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:7 & 8 & 16; 1 John 5:24.
5. The Bible tells us how we can tell if we God's love is in us. How can we tell?
   (if God's love is in us, we'll love others)
6. How do we know if we are children of God?
   (If we are children of God, we will do what is right)
7. Jesus showed us what true love really is. What did John tell us Jesus did to show us true love? (John said that Jesus showed us love when He was willing to do for us. When we are willing to lay down our life for others we show we love them. You don't have to die to lay down your life for others. Any time you put someone else ahead of you, if you think more of another person, if you go second, you are laying down your life for that person. Jesus did it by dying for us, but we can lay down our life everyday by thinking of others' needs before our own)
8. We used this cabbage juice today- as indicator juice. It helped us discover which thing were acids and which weren't. So what would you say is the "Indicator Juice" of Christians? What does John say is the thing that helps us know whether or not we really are Christians?
   (Love and obeying God's commands are our indicator juice. These two things help us know whether or not we are really Christians. We have to remember not to judge others, only ourselves.)
9. Close in prayer asking God to help us see whether or not we are really living our lives like we love others.

All of the experiments used in these lessons are owned by Mr. Kurzweil, so I can't share the actual experiment, only the part that I wrote. So, you'll need to buy this book, but for everything in this kit, it's well worth the money!He's written many books, so I've also included a link to one of his Potato Chip Stories!

From Page 21 of your Potato Chip Science Book

Materials

• Metal Pie Pan
• 1 Potato Chip
• Matches (or lighter)
• spoon
• freezer bag
• copies of the fingerprint card from page 23
• clear tape (regular or packing)

Method - See page 21 - in addition, you might have silly putty and allow the kids to make a "plastic print" in the elastic dough

Meaning - See page 23

Munch on this - There's a short "Munch on This" on Page 23 - here's the Bible "Munch on This"

Let the kids look at their fingerprints and help them identify the kind of print they have (arch, loop or whorl (there's a picture on page 23) - or a combination of them) Ask if any of their fingerprints look similar. Do any look the same?

Read Genesis 1:27 & 31

1. When did God say this?
   (on the last day of creation)
2. What does it mean to be created in God's image?
   (We must be very special if we are 'in God's image' - you might check it out in "The Message" - it describes this as 'reflecting God's nature')
3. The Message says it means to reflect God's Nature. What is "God's nature"?
   (God's nature is to love. His nature is to judge fairly and forgive.)
4. What did God say about His creating skills on this last day?
   (He said that His creation was 'very good')
5. So, God thought the people He created were 'very good'? How does it make you feel that you are created in God's image and He thinks it's 'very good' that He created you?

Read Psalm 139

1. Reread verses 13-16a. What does verse 13 mean?
   (God made me. He put me together personally from the inside out. That means He gave me my personality as well as my nose)
2. Do you think God did a good job when He made you? Is there anything you wish He'd done differently?
3. How 'bout verse 14 What does that mean?
   (Check it out in the NIrV - I am amazing and wonderful)
4. What did David (the guy who wrote this Psalm) know very well?
   (Everything God made was/is wonderful)
5. Do you know that very well? What kind of wonderful things did God make?
   (encourage them to name things that are natural - if they mention other things, remind them that people used things God made to make those things, but what did God make that was used to invent their suggestion)
6. Do you think you were made wonderful? How does your fingerprint help remind you how special you are?
   (each of our fingerprints are different. No two are the same. You might ask older kids what they know about DNA - even though all of our DNA is very similar - in fact, it proves we all are descended from 7 women - every single person's DNA is also different. God made us very special, unique. He could have just kept making the same thing over and over again, but He chose to make us all different, special.)
7. What kinds of things do you think we should remember every time we look at our fingers and think about our fingerprints?
   (Every time we look at our fingers we should remember how special we are, God made us wonderful, special, different from everyone else. We're also created in God's image. Our fingerprints should remind us not to judge others unfairly and to love others like God loves them.)

Page 24

Materials:

• 2 empty chip tubes without lids (metal bottomed work best)
• plastic wrap (or a big balloon with its neck cut off)
• rubber band
• potato chip
• wooden spoon

Method: see page 24

Meaning: see page 25

Munch on This: Give each kid a copy of the chart on Page 25. Go down through the list so they see how many decibels the difference is between a whisper and a jet engine. (or check out the link on the right for a chart from Wisconsin University) Every time something is 10 decibels louder, it is twice as loud as the last. So Opening your mouth when you eat a potato chip makes it almost twice as loud than if you kept your mouth closed! Tell them at 190 dB the human eardrum will explode. Then ask . . . How many dB do you think God's voice makes? (All answers are acceptable)

Let's look at some scripture that talks about how loud God speaks: Read Job 37:1-5

1. How loud did Elihu, Job's friend, (that's who said these words) think God's voice was?
   (he thought God's voice was like thunder)
2. When God spoke to Israel when He was giving them the 10 commandments, they were afraid of His voice because it was so loud. Do you think they thought it sounded like thunder too? (no wrong answers)
3. How many dB do you think it may have been? (no wrong answers - we're just engaging the kids in the discussion - you could compare their answers to the charts - a nearby clap of thunder is 120dB)

Well, let's look at what Ezekiel, the prophet, had to say about God's voice: Read Ezekiel 43:1-2

1. How loud did Ezekiel say God's voice was?
   (he thought it sounded like the roar of rushing waters)
2. Have any of you ever heard the roar of rushing waters?
   (you want the sound of Niagara Falls, not the sound of a babbling brook)
3. What did the rushing water sound like? (or "what do you think it would sound like" if no one has ever seen anything like Niagara Falls) (it's very loud. Usually it's hard to talk over the roar of rushing waters. Might compare it to a lawn mower)
4. Did you ever think God's voice would be that loud?
   (all answers acceptable)

Let's see what one more person had to say about God's voice. Elijah was a prophet. He was hiding out because the queen wanted to kill him. He felt like he was the only person left who followed God. He wasn't really, but that's what it felt like. Let's see what Elijah discovered about God's voice.

Read I Kings 19:10-13

1. So, how did Elijah know God was there?
   (Elijah heard a whisper)
2. Would you expect to find God in a whisper?
   (no wrong answers)
3. How easy is it to hear God talk to you? Have you ever heard God?
   (no wrong answers)
4. Why do you think it's so hard to hear God?
   (Because a lot of time he speaks in a whisper.)
5. How loud did we say a whisper is?
   (about 30dB)
6. How loud is our talking?
   (about 60-70dB - ask the older kids how many times louder that is than whispering - the answer= 8-16 times louder than whispering - so when we're talking or playing a video game it's hard to hear God if He's whispering)
7. But why can't we hear God when He sounds like the thunder?
   (Use the "chip Challenge" on the bottom of page 25 to demonstrate that the further away we get the harder it is to hear God's voice - usually when we can't hear God it's because we are too far away from Him)
8. How do we get closer to God?
   (read the Bible, pray, come to Sunday School and be quiet and listen for Him)
9. Close in Prayer

Page 26

MATERIALS

• 1 small chip tube or Ziploc bags for each student
• potting soil or peat moss pellet
• water
• potato chips
• knife
• potato peels
• chip-bag confetti

METHOD: See Page 26 of the “Potato Chip Science” book

Make your compost bags then read this:

Today we’ve made some Potato Chip Science Compost. If you take this baggie home and watch it, you’ll be able to see which of the things we put in the compost mix decomposes the fastest and which sticks around for a long time.

Of all the things we put in the bag, which do you think will decompose (or rot away) first? (See page 26 for answers – then read “THE MEANING” on page 26)

MEANING: See Page 27 of the “Potato Chip Science” book

MUNCH ON THIS: See Page 27 of the “Potato Chip Science” book and below

Read Matthew 24:35-44

1. What did Jesus mean when He said that Heaven and Earth would “pass away?”
   (One day everything will end. The stars and everything on earth will be gone)
2. What did Jesus say would never “pass away?”
   (His Word)
3. What is that?
   (All of His promises in the Bible)
4. There are a lot of people talking about the earth ending, but what did Jesus say about that? (Jesus said no one knows the hour or the day)

Read 1 John 2:15-17

1. What did John tell us would “pass away?”
   (This world and all of the things people love in it)
2. What did John say would last forever?
   (The person who does the things God wants us to do)
3. What is the most important thing that God wants us to do?
   (Believe in Jesus, ask Him to forgive your sins and live for Jesus)
4. What does John say will happen if we do that?
   (We will live forever)
5. So, if we believe in Jesus, and He’s our Savior, do we have to worry about when the world will end? (No)
6. Why not?
   (Even when the world ends, if we follow Jesus, we will live forever, so the end of the world doesn’t matter)
7. Close in Prayer.

Page 28

the last "chip" experiment . . . I'll try to get it up here eventually!